Withholding Judgment
Disciples • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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How do disciples live in the midst of sin?
He put another parable before them, saying, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a man who sowed good seed in his field,
but while his men were sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away.
So when the plants came up and bore grain, then the weeds appeared also.
And the servants of the master of the house came and said to him, ‘Master, did you not sow good seed in your field? How then does it have weeds?’
He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’
But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them.
Let both grow together until the harvest, and at harvest time I will tell the reapers, “Gather the weeds first and bind them in bundles to be burned, but gather the wheat into my barn.” ’ ”
Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him, saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds of the field.”
He answered, “The one who sows the good seed is the Son of Man.
Remember that this is neither our field nor our seed.
The field is the world, and the good seed is the sons of the kingdom. The weeds are the sons of the evil one,
and the enemy who sowed them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels.
“The harvest is the end of the age.”
Nothing looks good in the middle.
We shouldn’t judge because now isn’t the time for judgment.
He said to them, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the servants said to him, ‘Then do you want us to go and gather them?’
But he said, ‘No, lest in gathering the weeds you root up the wheat along with them.
We shouldn’t judge because we aren’t any good at judgment.
And when Jesus had finished these parables, he went away from there,
and coming to his hometown he taught them in their synagogue, so that they were astonished, and said, “Where did this man get this wisdom and these mighty works?
Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary? And are not his brothers James and Joseph and Simon and Judas?
And are not all his sisters with us? Where then did this man get all these things?”
We shouldn’t judge because judging was never our job.
Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.
Why do you pass judgment on your brother? Or you, why do you despise your brother? For we will all stand before the judgment seat of God;
for it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God.”
So then each of us will give an account of himself to God.
Do not speak evil against one another, brothers. The one who speaks against a brother or judges his brother, speaks evil against the law and judges the law. But if you judge the law, you are not a doer of the law but a judge.
There is only one lawgiver and judge, he who is able to save and to destroy. But who are you to judge your neighbor?
Do not grumble against one another, brothers, so that you may not be judged; behold, the Judge is standing at the door.
Judgment is for God at the end, not for us in the middle.
Just as the weeds are gathered and burned with fire, so will it be at the end of the age.
The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather out of his kingdom all causes of sin and all law-breakers,
and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.
Withholding judgment is not the same as allowing evil to “get away with it.”
Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. He who has ears, let him hear.
Allowing God to do the judging also allows God to do the glorifying.
The Jews answered him, “Are we not right in saying that you are a Samaritan and have a demon?”
Jesus answered, “I do not have a demon, but I honor my Father, and you dishonor me.
Yet I do not seek my own glory; there is One who seeks it, and he is the judge.
A disciples live to glorify God, not to take his place.